Why Use Schluter Ditra For Tile Floors

Schluter DITRA and Uncoupling Tile Floors

Schluter DITRA will help you create a beautiful tile floor that will last a lifetime. When I first heard this I thought it was a pretty bold statement. After all what makes this product so much better than any other option?

So I decided to research DITRA and other options in depth because I was planning to spend a lot of money on a new tile floor and I wanted to make sure it was done right the first time.

What I learned in the process changed my views on a system I thought I already knew pretty well. You see I've been designing new homes and additions for the last 34 years and helping people build them. So I'm always trying to stay on top of the best practice ideas to make these projects last.

It doesn't matter if you are planning to install your own tile project or if you plan to pay someone else to do the work, understanding how to get the best tile floor installation for your project is worth reading this entire article.

What you will read here is a condensed but comprehensive review of:

How the Schluter DITRA system was created

What a Schluter DITRA installation will do for your floor and peace of mind

Some of the common tile failure problems Schluter DITRA will help avoid

You will also learn how you can successfully use the Schluter DITRA installation system over just about every possible level subfloor surface. I will cover proper tile installation using Schluter DITRA over different types of wood subfloors, concrete or gypsum, different types of heated floors, and even over old vinyl floors.

Photo credit: Flickr

Tile History and What Changed

Tile has been around for centuries. It's no secret that it's a very durable, easy to maintain surface that has been used on floors and walls going back to ancient times. Now while it is true that some of the tile and stone products have changed over the centuries the real change has occurred in the substrates or surfaces that the tile gets applied to and this is where problems begin to appear.

In our modern world we are building with lighter and more adaptable products like plywood, OSB, and gypsum concrete. This is good for modern construction but not so good for tile installation that requires a stable substrate (a mounting surface that expands and contracts or flexes at the same rate as the tile) If we were to apply our tile directly to most of these surfaces we would see cracking in the grout and possibly the tile when the subfloor expand at a different rate than the tile. Expansion or contraction occurs when any material is subjected to a change in temperature, humidity, or both. It is a very small movement but when you attach a solid tile with a cement base to something there is no room for even the smallest movement difference.

How Schluter DITRA Was Created

Schluter Systems as a company was created by master tile setter Werner Schluter in 1975 as he began to create products to provide a more durable and finished look to tile surfaces. Up until that time there had been no significant changes to the products or methods used for centuries. Mr. Schluter realized that the surfaces his tile was being installed to were changing and the installation system had to change to avoid problems. This is where Schluter DITRA and Schluter Kerdi for waterproof tile installation were born.

The uncoupling process of Schluter DITRA

What is Schluter DITRA

I see Schluter DITRA as a substrate stabilizer but there are 4 significant benefits to using Schluter DITRA on your tiled floor.

First- DITRA acts to uncouple the tile surface from its substrate. What this means is that Schluter DITRA allows the tile and subfloor surface to move independent of each other to avoid mortar cracking or tile separation.

Second- DITRA acts as a moisture barrier, this is especially valuable over a wood substrate since wood is prone to damage by constant moisture contact. DITRA provides a simple permanent solution to moisture protection for your wood subfloor.

Third- Since wood is constantly absorbing and releasing moisture as mentioned above the DITRA membrane allows the wood substrate to breath and gives it a route for excess moisture to escape.

Forth- By design the DITRA membrane is virtually uncompressible. What this means is that even though it acts to uncouple the tile from its substrate, it will maintain the same secure bonding surface even if heavy loads are placed in small areas.

DITRA and DITRA-XL Profiles

Two DITRA Products

There are now two DITRA products available and it's important to understand which is best for your project. Schluter DITRA was the first product created to uncouple the tile from its subfloor. DITRA is 1/8 inch thick and works well over any substrate where a thin set installation is desired as in bringing a tile floor up to a thin carpet floor or other fairly thin flooring surface.

However with popular trends like installing tile up to a ¾ inch hardwood floor installers where having to use 2 layers of DITRA to get the surfaces to match up. This is where Schluter DITRA-XL was created. Measuring in at 3/16 inch thickness DITRA-XL resolves the problem of matching floor finish heights. They also found that DITRA-XL gives a better work rating when installing your tile over a subfloor with a single layer of Â¾ inch OSB or Plywood over joists spaced 24 inch on center.

What Type of Floor Are You Planning To Tile Over

Schluter DITRA is the best way to uncouple your new floor from any surface so what type floor system will you be tiling over?

Why is DITRA Better than Cement Board

Many people have begun the practice of installing tile over a substrate of cement board installed over their base substrate. While this practice is approved in all areas the fact is this system lacks all of the valuable benefits described above. The cement board will give you a more solid substrate than OSB or Plywood alone but it does not give you the uncoupled effect of letting both surfaces move independent of each other or any of the moisture control value. Contrary to popular belief tile even with sealed grout has ZERO moisture control value. It is porous and will allow moisture to permeate through it.

Video on How-To Install Schluter DITRA With Tile Flooring

Installing DITRA over Different Substrates

I have found that the basic practices while similar will vary slightly from one substrate to the next so I want to cover some of the common details here as well as give you a list of different substrate options you might encounter and then I will give you a link to a comprehensive installation guide from Schluter Systems so you can read exact installation details for your particular project.

In each installation you will learn the specific requirements for substrate preparation, movement joints, setting and grouting materials, minimum recommended tile sizes, and what applications are most common for this type of substrate. You will also find extra recommendations or other considerations that might pertain to your installation.

For detailed information on proper installation practices for each of these subfloor options refer to this handy Schluter DITRA Installation Guide as it will provide clear information for your particular project. (Be sure and read the Schluter disclaimer about installing stone over any single layer wood substrate-also located in this installation guide)

Schluter DITRA Warranty

Schluter Systems puts a 5 year warranty on their DITRA and DITRA-XL products when properly installed according to published installation instructions.

It is valuable to note that Schluter will not honor their warranty for purchases of their product made from non-authorized internet sales sites. Read their Online Warranty Restrictions for more on this.

This is why we only recommend using the Amazon site links we are providing here to assure that you not only get the best pricing from a trusted source but that you will buy from a source authorized by Schluter to sell and warranty their products.

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)

Google AdSense Host API

This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Facebook Login

You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Maven

This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)

We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.

Conversion Tracking Pixels

We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.

Statistics

Author Google Analytics

This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)

Comscore

ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)

Amazon Tracking Pixel

Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)